


Lost in a Winter Wonderland

by Nohoney



Series: Sehun's Advent Calendar [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Christmas, Christmas Tree, Crush at First Sight, Cute Kids, First Meetings, Fluff, Honestly this is more about Sehun with Rahee than it's about Jongin, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 03:06:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16802404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nohoney/pseuds/Nohoney
Summary: Sehun is supposed to sell Christmas trees, not hand out his heart to cute toddlers and dashing uncles.





	Lost in a Winter Wonderland

If one would ask Oh Sehun what he hated about Christmas – not that the holiday even deserved such a strong emotion – his answer would be made up of a long list. The distasteful Christmas songs, the overly joyful atmosphere, the crazy consumerism to only name a few. Rather it’d be easier to ask him what he did like about Christmas. To that Sehun only had one answer: coming home to his family.

Since he started college four years ago, the only two fixed dates he would surely visit his family were Christmas and New Year. Which was ridiculous seeing as both his parents and he himself lived in Seoul but the heavy work load at SNU and the long track from one end of Seoul to the other did not allow for more regular visits.

Considering the rarity of being home and having time to relax, the last place one would expect Sehun to be on the morning of the 24th December was the festive Christmas market of their neighbourhood. The sad reason for that, and most likely for his certain distaste of Christmas, was that his parents actually operated a stand on said Christmas market every year, selling Christmas trees in all shades, forms and sizes.

As far as Sehun could think back, his parents were always at their busiest during the weeks leading up to Christmas and in the worst-case scenario Sehun even had to help out with the business. Spending hours standing out in the cold, selling Christmas trees to indecisive families with whining children, no escape from the surrounding booths’ competition for the loudest Christmas music had certainly nourished Sehun’s dislike.

Still, the filial son that he was, he ended up once more helping out in the last hours of business so that his parents could start cooking their exorbitant Christmas meal and his brother and sister-in-law could do their last Christmas shopping. At least, business was slow – only a handful of customers had dared to buy the indispensable Christmas tree at the last minute – and Sehun had relied on a steady supply of hot chocolate and mulled wine from one booth over. Baekhyun, his disgustingly jolly childhood friend running said booth, had been happy to stop by at every opportunity to tease Sehun about his mandatory Santa’s hat and inquire about his highly anticipated present.

Now, it was nearing three o’clock in the afternoon and Sehun was excited to finally start closing up. His nose was so red, if anything he could compete with Rudolph the reindeer and not with Santa Claus. Only his fingers and feet were even more frozen and Sehun couldn’t wait to return to the cosy warmth of his parent’s house and warm said appendages in front of the stove.

Making his way around the considerable size of their market stall – all those trees needed more space than your average selling booth – Sehun was just about to water the leftover trees when he ran into something. Or more like, he was run into. A look down revealed a little girl, not even reaching the height of his hip, that immediately clung to his admittedly long legs.

Sehun was astonished. Not knowing what to do, he first set down the heavy watering can (no easy feat with an adamant kid around your legs) before he tried to free himself from the surprisingly strong grip. However, he stopped his futile efforts as soon as he realized that the child was silently crying and shaking against his legs. In desperate need to calm the girl down, he stroked the top of her head no covered by a fluffy headband and patted her shoulder.

Only after a few minutes in this balance endangering position did the girl dare to look up, still not loosening its hug in the slightest. Suppressing the strong urge to coo at the endearing sight – big watery eyes, a nose just as red as Sehun’s, quivering lips and on top of it all the headband with bear’s ears on both sides – Sehun instead put on his most winning smile.

“Hi. I’m Sehun.”

The girl seemed surprised enough by his simple statement that her tears stopped flowing and she curiously blinked up at him. Sehun tried to dry the track of her tears as best as he could with his thick gloves, then tilting his head.

“Want to tell me your name?”

The girl appeared to be slightly embarrassed by her previous temper tantrum, maybe she was older than she looked. The redness on her face from sobbing was replaced by an adorable blush. As she bashfully looked to the side, Sehun had to prick up his ears to discern her murmur.

“Rahee”, and after a short pause, “Sehun is a nice name.”

“Thank you. Rahee is also a very pretty name.”

Since Sehun had recognized a slight lisp from Rahee – a peculiarity he knew all too well and had taken quite a time to overcome – he offered: “If you want, you can call me Hunnie. That’s what my friends call me.”

What was a little white lie to make a little and lost girl happy. And when Rahee answered she was actually smiling for the first time.

“My friends only call me Rahee. But I’d like to call you Hunnie.”

“Now, Rahee, if you let go of my legs, I could offer you some hot chocolate to celebrate our friendship. What do you say?”

His question was answered with a happy squeal of “Choco~!” and Rahee let go of Sehun’s legs only to make grabby hands asking to be lift up instead. Sehun easily indulged the small girl, lifting her up on his hip. He was just happy that he had avoided any further drama and Rahee had stopped crying. Now, he just had to figure out where Rahee had lot her parents or guardian and find their way back.

With new determination, Sehun made their way over the canopied cash desk and set Rahee down on top of it to get the thermos flask from behind the counter. Luckily, the last refill had been cocoa and there was still enough for two cups. He poured the steaming liquid until both cups were filled up to the half and made sure that white snowman cup – thanks to Baekhyun – wasn’t too hot before handing it to Rahee.

Sehun took a sip, calming down at the rich flavour of chocolate, and contemplated how to approach the issue of Rahee being on her own without distressing her again. He observed Rahee as she blew into the cup and took a sip, looking up with a delighted smile. Most likely, there was a desperate parent out there, desperately searching for his wonderful daughter. But you never knew.

“Do you like it, Rahee?”

The girl nodded strongly, her bright grin showing off several missing teeth, no wonder she had a slight lisp.

“Yes! Thank you, Hunnie.”

Sehun was amazed how well-mannered and responsible the girl was for her age. So, no sense in wasting words.

“So, Rahee, can you tell me who you are here with? Your parents or somebody else?”

Rahee nervously dangled her legs and sheepishly avoided looking at Sehun. It appeared as if she was quite aware how she had ended up here.

“I was buying presents for mom and dad with Uncle Nini.”

Well, at least some kind of guardian was around. Now, how to track this Uncle Nini down.

“And do you know where Uncle Nini might be now? I would love to meet him.”

At that, Rahee got overly excited.

“Yes, you should totally meet Uncle Nini, all my friends like meeting him. But you can’t marry him. Because I’m gonna marry him when I’m big. Uncle Nini is the best!”

The girl basically had stars in her eyes and while Sehun found the sight and her eagerness adorable, the information didn’t really help him out.

“Alright, I promise I won’t marry your Uncle Nini”, Sehun held out his hand to pinkie promise. “But I think if you want to marry him when you are grown up, we should really try to find him. Do you know how the two of you got separated?”

As Rahee emptied her cup and set it down, Sehun quickly refilled it, giving the young girl time to rethink what happened and how to answer. With her hands free, Rahee started to gesticulate wildly.

“I was supposed to hold Nini’s hand. But he was paying for mom’s present and I saw the trees and I wanted to get Uncle Nini a tree because Nini doesn’t have a tree at home and he is all alone when I’m not there. So, I wanted to find him the perfect tree but there were so many trees and then I didn’t find my way back and then, then I saw that hat, but it wasn’t Nini’s hat, it was yours.”

At the end of Rahee’s stream of words, she squinted her eyes and pouted, her hands forming little fists. Meekly she added: “I know that it’s my fault because I should have stayed with Uncle Nini, but I really wanted to get him a tree.” Her eyes were already getting dangerously shiny and she was blinking to fight of the tears.

Sehun stroked the girl’s hair again – it had after all worked to calm her down before – and pushed the cup of hot chocolate back into her hands.

“That’s alright, Rahee. We’re going to find Uncle Nini and then we can all choose a tree for him together, ok?” Because it would be so easy to find some stranger with a Santa’s hat and the title ‘Uncle Nini’, Sehun didn’t say. At least, Rahee called her uncle by some kind of name and not simply uncle. Sehun had to remind himself to think positive.

Rahee nodded in agreement but asked in a wobbly voice: “D-do you think Uncle Nini is gonna hate Rahee?”

“No, Rahee, no! I’m sure, Uncle Nini will be so happy when he sees you because he loves you very much. He’s probably really worried right now, so let’s just hurry and find him.” Sehun bopped her on the nose, earning a small giggle, and kneeled down with the back turned to Rahee, patting his shoulders.

“Alright, jump on. You will be in the pole position to see Uncle Nini and we will find him in no time!”

The girl climbed onto his shoulders eagerly, grabbing onto his head to steady herself while cheering “Up, up!” Sehun made sure he had her stubby legs in a secure grip before he stood up. Unsure in which direction to start, Sehun wondered where he might search for a lost niece.

There was a little booth for general information and lost property which would have been the obvious choice, but it was located at the entrance and quite far from the Oh’s booth, especially considering the crowd of strolling people. Another place attracting lost kids might be the sizeable merry-go-round with its blinking lights, but it was rather a place to be lost than to be found. Picking his last sensible idea, Sehun decided it would be the best to start where Rahee had last seen her uncle.

After another round of questions and more or less helpful answers, Sehun discerned that Rahee had most likely gotten lost at a small booth selling handmade candles. While their stand selling Christmas trees was barely in sight of said booth, their large tree sign would have been easily visible even for a small girl like Rahee. Instructing Rahee to keep her eyes open – the girl was easily distracted with her excellent view on shiny things and yummy food – and to not hesitate to shout her uncle’s name occasionally, Sehun started on their slow way over to the Do’s booth.

He hoped that even if their search would be unsuccessful at the booth, its owner’s son Kyungsoo (with the same pitiful task as Sehun) would know how Uncle Nini had reacted and where he had planned to search. It was already a tedious task to wiggle through the seemingly aimless mass of people on one’s own, the weight of a restless child certainly didn’t make it any easier.

They were maybe halfway there – Sehun had stopped once to buy Bungeo-ppang and keep Rahee in a good mood – when he halted in his tracks. He thought he had heard his name, but he couldn’t simply turn his head with Rahee tightly holding on, so he opted to slowly turn on the spot. And indeed, from the distance he heard a shrill shriek of “Sehun” mixed with a deeper but all the more anxious “Rahee”. Sehun believed to recognize Baekhyun’s wildly waving arms.

Rahee had noticed the voices as well and started excitedly squirming on Sehun’s shoulders and shouted: “Nini, Uncle Nini!”

Sehun’s his job to keep her safely atop was bound to be a failure and he had to chide the girl softly.

“Rahee, you have to sit tight and hold on for a bit longer. If I let you down right, you might just get lost the second time around. We don’t want that, alright?”

With her small hand, Rahee patted Sehun’s head and calmed somewhat down.

“I’m sorry, Hunnie. I’m just so excited to see Uncle Nini.”

Sehun laughed wholeheartedly and bounced Rahee a few times.

“That’s alright. I’m excited for you, too. But I should keep you safe until we reach him, or I wouldn’t dare to meet him.”

“No~, you have to meet Uncle Nini. I like you so much, I want Uncle Nini to like you, too. I will sit still.”

They kept standing right where they were, fearing to miss the other two in the crowd, and it wasn’t long before an eager man – honestly, Sehun just didn’t want to call him desperate – reached them and stretched out his arms for Rahee. Sehun crouched down a bit to let Rahee slip securely into the man’s tight embrace.

“Rahee, baby, are you alright? You aren’t hurt? I was so worried, Rahee!” The man, or rather Uncle Nini, fussed over the little girl in his arms, peppering her rosy cheeks with little pecks.

And if Sehun had a hard time not cooing at adorable Rahee, he had much harder time at the sight of happy Rahee and her excited uncle. Although the man with a Santa’s hat askew on his unruly mop of hair did not just make it hard to not coo, he was most definitely swoon worthy. His bronzed skin, a welcome freshness in the cold whiteness of winter, his strong jawline, plush lips and his hooded eyes, he might just be considered perfection.

Sehun was pulled from his thoughts when Baekhyun barrelled into his side. While niece and uncle reunited, Baekhyun and Sehun shortly compared what happened on their respective sides before Baekhyun had to hurry back to their booth. Sehun kept standing next to the loveable pair, quietly reassuring each other, at a loss of what to do. But he had promised Rahee that they would look for a tree together and unless the girl changed her mind, Sehun had no intention of letting her down.

It was only a short moment later – actually Sehun didn’t even mind standing in the cold with the captivating sight in front of him – that Rahee clapped both her hands against her uncle’s cheeks.

“Uncle Nini! You have to meet Hunnie!”, she squealed and reached for Sehun. Uncle Nini turned in his direction, really noticing Sehun for the first time. Sehun blushed under the scrutinising gaze but luckily, Rahee stopped him from making himself a fool.

“Hunnie, this is Uncle Nini. Uncle Nini, this is Hunnie.” As she introduced the two, she waved between them as if expecting some kind of action. The only action Sehun had planned was to correct his name but Rahee’s uncle beat him to it with a soft smirk. He obviously knew what kind of behaviour Rahee expected.

“It’s nice to meet you, Hunnie. You might want to call me Jongin since I’m obviously not your uncle or anything. And thank you so much for taking care of Rahee, I’m forever grateful!”

Jongin had barely finished his last sentence when he suddenly pulled Sehun forward in a cosy three-way hug. Completely baffled, Sehun stiffened up until he heard a quiet shiver inducing whisper along his neck: “Rahee always expects people that meet for the first time to hug.” While Sehun leaned into the comfortable body warmth, Jongin added: “Not that I would mind hugging you without that reason.”

Not having heard her uncle’s words, Rahee happily exclaimed: “Uncle Nini, Hunnie can help us choose a Christmas tree for you, ok?” Demanding attention, her small hands pinched both grown men’s cheeks. As Jongin readily agreed, Rahee asked to be carried on Sehun’s hip and Jongin trailed behind the two admiring the sight of his darling niece in this beautiful – inside and out – man’s arms.

Out of her uncle’s earshot, Rahee snuggled into Sehun and whispered: “You know, Hunnie, I’m not really gonna marry Uncle Nini. Don’t tell him, but when I’m big, he’s gonna be much too old for me. So, even if we don’t find him the perfect Christmas tree, I think he wouldn’t be lonely if you stay with him.” With that she pressed a wet smack to Sehun’s cheek and waved back at Jongin to hurry to their side.

And Sehun, Sehun returned the gesture, leaving a slightly less wet peck on her cheek. Over his shoulder he caught Jongin’s gaze, breaking into a big smile at the man’s awkward wink.

Maybe Sehun could name something else he liked about Christmas: Meeting Rahee and Uncle Nini- eh Jongin.

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by 'Winter Wonderland', another disgusting Christmas song ;)
> 
> First work in my Advent series for the prompt 'tree'. Nothing really creative but I love~ Sekai with kids! Apparently I can't keep my writing short. Anyway, hope you enjoy ＞ω＜


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